Indus Waters Treaty a major strategic blunder by Nehru: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 stands as one of the greatest strategic blunders in India’s history.

In a post in X, Sarma stated, “Despite India’s natural upper riparian advantage, Nehru, under immense pressure from the then American administration and the World Bank, handed away over 80% of the Indus basin waters to Pakistan — gifting full control over the mighty Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while restricting India to the smaller eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej). Pakistan received a staggering 135 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually, while India was left with just 33 MAF. Worse, India’s rights over the western rivers were limited to minor irrigation and run-of-the-river hydro projects without meaningful storage, permanently compromising the water needs of Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir. Nehru’s misplaced obsession with international approval came at the cost of India’s long-term national interest, weakening India’s strategic and agricultural strength in its own land.”

He further stated, “Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has delivered a historic body blow to this injustice. By initiating India’s withdrawal from the treaty, Modi has reclaimed India’s sovereign rights over its rivers, sending a clear message that India will no longer reward terror and hostility with appeasement. This bold move strikes at the heart of Pakistan’s fragile economy, where over 75% of agriculture depends on Indus waters, and corrects a historic betrayal that had shackled India’s rightful control for over six decades. Modi’s action marks the rise of a new, assertive India — determined to defend its interests without apology”.


India's decision to suspend the treaty follows the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday.